How Biden's border trip came together

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden had been considering a trip to the southern border for weeks as a way to amplify his efforts to remind Americans that Republicans derailed a bipartisan border deal he was prepared to sign into law, according to two senior administration officials.

The timing of Biden’s second visit to the border since taking office — one week before he is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union address — is an attempt by the White House to maximize the political impact of the trip, the officials said.

And now, the officials said, the trip Thursday is an opportunity to draw a more direct contrast between the immigration agendas of Biden and his likely 2024 opponent, former President Donald Trump, who will visit the border on the same day.

“We welcome that split screen,” said one of the officials, who also said Trump’s travel had no bearing on the timing of Biden’s trip.

Biden’s handling of the border is a sizable political vulnerability as he faces a tough re-election race. An NBC News poll in January found that 57% of registered voters said Trump would handle securing the border better, while 22% said the same for Biden.

The Biden administration has been under increasing pressure to take action to address the migrant crisis, including from Democratic governors and mayors, who have been raising the issue with the White House for months and did so pointedly during meetings with the president last week.

Immigration was by far the most dominant topic of discussion on Friday when governors met with Biden, according to an attendee and a White House official familiar with the meeting. Democratic governors, in particular, pressed Biden and other administration officials on the topic in multiple meetings,